Process of treating large fermentation vessels.



H. HELD. PROCESS OF TREATING LARGE FERMENTATION VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.6, 1912.

LQF6A24, Patefited 001;. 21, 1913.

wood, glass,- stone, cement or iron.

HANS HELD, 0F NUREMBERG, GERMANY.

'raocnss or TREATING LARGE rnannn'ra'rron' vnssnrs.

Continuation of application Serial No. 5%,045, filed October 22, 1909.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 21, 19113. This application filed February 6,

1912. Serial No. 676,115.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, HANS HELD, Ph. D, a citizen of the Empire of Germany, and a resident of Nuremberg, in the Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Large Fermentation Vessels, of which the following ,is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in producing large vessels for pure algoholic fermentations of saccharine liqu1 s.-

This application is a continuation of my application for Letters Patent of the U. S. for preparation of vessels for preparing pure alcoholic fermentations of saccharine liquids filed October 22, 1909 under Ser. No. 524,045.

The vessels heretofore employed in zymo- 'technic industries for alcoholic fermentations of saccharine liquids were made from In some instances a separate vessel. of noncorrodible' material such as silver,

vessels were separated by hard. rubber-or other material which does not conductelectricity. Enamel lined and silver plated metal vessels were also usedinpasteurizing liquids. i

All the described vessels present certain defects in their use or are not desirable for other reasons. The'wooden vessels lined with pitch, lacquer, paraflin orthe like always have unavoidable cracks, flaws or pores through which the saccharine or the fermented liquid can penetrate into the wood. Glass, stone or enameled vessels easily get cracksby unequal expansion and contraction or in consequence of one sided pressure. Stone and cement vessels must be lined with heavy layers of neutral material which often breaks ofi by irregular drying or from other causes and such coatings are also liable to get cracks. Likewise iron ves sels made from curved plates coated with pitch or the like or enameled share the same defects and large vessels of iron made of curved plates and connected by rivets or screws always form breeding places on the joints for infecting the alcoholic fermenta tion. The. described defects invariably occur even if cracks and the like in such vessels are only microscopically small, yet these fine cracks permit of the settlement was placed into-an outer vessel or two metallicof fermentation fungi after the vessels have been emptied and even in spite of thorough cleaning these fungi will then undergo either self fermentationor putrefaction and after the refilling of the vessels with saccharine liquid will cause secondary fermentations and produce not alone ethylic alcohol but a series ofother substances such as alcohols of the higher orders, organic acids, esters and the like. i r

The present invention has for its object improvements in the art of making fermentation vessels by means of whichperfectly pure fermentations of saccharine liquids are obtained and any detrimental. secondary fermentations and their resulting undesirable alcoholic fermentations of saccharine liqa uids restingon rollers for the purpose of coating its, interior surface. Fig. 2. is across section of same.

Similar letters of reference denote like parts in both figures.

lln the drawing a represents a large fermentation. vessel in a horizontal position. The vessel a. rests on rollers I) so that it may beconveniently turned for a certain dis tance when desired during the process of coating its interior surface. The rollers Z) are provided with suitable insulation 0 so as to prevent any electrical connection between the vessel or tank a, and the rollers. Assuming. that the vessel is in the position indicated on the drawing some ofth e' elect-rolyte d is placed therein with the anode e while the inner surface of the vessel forms the cathode f. By rotating the vessel on its axis the inner surface thereof can be electroplated with a film of non-corrodible metal.

It is essential in this art that the cost of production of fermentation vessels be kept as low as possible with the use of the most desirable material particularly when large vessels are required such as form the subject matter of this invention which can not be completed in the factory on account of the size but must be mounted and finished at the place where they are used. 'According to this invention very large vessels may be made relatively cheap as compared withvessels made according to known methods.

In carrying the present invention into effect with a view of accomplishing the above desirable results I referably proceed as follows: First the part?! of the large vessel are constructed at the factory, then these parts are :put up at the place where the vessel is to be used. The single parts may be connected by riveting, soldering, or welding. T he finished vessel is now lined with copper by chemical process or 'electro-plating. Such large vessel cannot be placed into an electrolytic bath on account of its size and even if this couldbe done the large quantity of liquid required for the coating of the inside would make this method too expensive.

\ The coating of the new large vessels is effected by placing some electrolyte with the anode into the vessel and making the inner surface of the vessel the cathode while rotating the vessel, preferably on insulated rollers around its horizontally arranged longitudinal axis. In this way a very durable vessel is obtained with a thin coating on the inside of precious metal such as silver or gold or an alloy of both which coating may be produced in the manner described at a reasonable cost. It is self evident that an iron vessel even if nicely finished on the inside will not take a coating of precious metal in such a perfect manner as well as a copper lined vessel, the copper being of an exceedingly fine finish even at the joints, when such vessel is made up of several parts. To further reduce the cost of construction of large vessels the same may be made of a base metal and coated on the inside with copper by chemical process or electro-plating and a coat of precious metal such as silver or gold or an alloy of both produced on the copper deposit, thus but very little coper is used and still the precious metal coatmg will perfectly adhere to the co per coating. Both open and closed vesse s maybe constructed in the prescribed manner.

I claim as my invention: 1. In the production of large vessels suitable for use in fermenting saccharine liquids,

theprocess which comprises forming the vessel of a cheap metal, placing an amount terially less than the amount required to fill said ,vessel, rotating the vessel about its longitudinal, horizontally arranged axis while passing an electric current through said electrolyte, and making the inner wall of said vessel serve 'as the cathode, thus producing a coating of a metal on: the innen surface of said vessel;

2. The improvement in the art of producing large vessels, which comprises insulating said vessel, placing an amount of a copper electrolyte therein insuflicient to fill said vessel, together with an anode, connecting the vessel itself as the cathode, passing an electric current through the electrolyte from said anode to said vessel; rotating said vessel containing the electrolyte, and thereafter producing in like manner a second coating of a different metal.

3. The improvement in the,art of producing large vessels, which comprises insulating said vessel, placing an amount of a copper electrolyte therein insuflicient to fill said vessel, together with an anode, connecting the vessel itself as the cathode, passing an electric current through the electrolyte from said anode to said vessel; rotating said vessel containing the electrolyte, and thereafter producing in like manner a second coating of silver.

4. In the production of large, silver lined vessels suitable for use in fermenting saccharine liquids, the improvement consisting in placing within such vessel an amount of thereon, and thereafter producing in like manner a second coating of silver thereupon. Signed at Nuremberg, Germany, this 17th day of January 1912,

HANS HELD. Witnesses: RALPH W. Dox,

GEORGE NIooLAs IFFT. 

